Katakwi: Guyaguya Subcounty receives shs7m for medical outreach

Before the outreach, locals were trekking upto 30kms to get health services.

By Robert Edwomu

Soroti – 23, October 2021: Poor healthcare services in Guyaguya Sub county in Katakwi district has compelled Child Fund International (CFI) through Partners for Children Worldwide (PCW) to inject shs7 million for health care outreach.

PCW and CFI on Thursday took the first health camp to the Sub county in a bid to provide services.

The camp (outreach) involved activities like immunization for children, antenatal care, family planning, Covid-19 vaccination, cancer screening, HIV testing and counselling, among others

George Masuba, the program Manager Partners for Children Worldwide says the initiative is derived from looking at the distant health services, bad roads, and remoteness of the area that can’t allow patients to get to the facility easily.

He says the organizations would always love to have at least two health camps (outreaches) annually looking at the magnitude of the problem. He adds, “But resources sometimes constrain.”

Betty Isoto, the Assistant Midwifery Officer at Aakum Health Center II, Guyaguya Sub county praised the outreach. “It is a blessing to many people who couldn’t get to the facilities.”

She notes that the cost, long distance and poor roads is challenging many patients from getting to the health unit for services.

She says some pregnant women have failed to go for antenatal and that they deliver on their way, in swamps and in the hands of the traditional birth attendants.

To her, the outreach enabled them to offer various services to close to 1,000 people who turned up.

She notes that vaccines like DPT-HEB+HIP, PCV, ROTA, Measles Rubella, TB, BCG, T-T and Covid-19, among others were administered to women, men and children, respectively.

Isoto reveals that the distant services have made mothers lose their newly born babies due to poor delivery methods and lack of vaccination for the babies.

Martha Ikupa, a pregnant mother narrates that long distance and bad road makes it hard for them to access the services prompting them to run to traditional birth attendants (TBA) that charges them some little amount.

She states that TBA uses herbs for massaging at a pocket friendly price. Even Boda-Bodas are expensive and charges between four to eight thousands depending on the personality.

Josephine Akello, 26, is a mother of 5 children. She reveals that two of her children were delivered by TBA.

Agnes Akiteng, 36, says she delivered her sixth baby on her way due to bad roads that couldn’t allow them to reach the facility faster.

Emmanuel Ongala, the district health officer of Katakwi acknowledges that residents trek for 21kms to 30kms to the nearest health center to access at least substantial services.

He observes that the government’s pause on opening up new health units is worsening the situation.

“Poor road network has left many patients unable to access basic medical services even from the nearest facility of 21km.

Amos Otim, the chairperson LCIII Guyaguya Sub county says during rainy season the roads are muddy and impassable for motorized means cutting off access to many services not only health.

Otim notes that the Sub county has a population of 13,000 people which face numerous service delivery issues.

“I wrote to the district to intervene but to date no positive response is received,” he adds.

He further applauded Partners for Children Worldwide for conducting a health camp that made his people access services the district couldn’t deliver.